What is Marcopoloni?

Our goal is to bring people like you, who cherish and appreciate fine artistry, closer to the artisans who create them. Everything we offer is handmade by carefully-selected artisans who pour their love and pride into each piece of work.

Much as Marco Polo brought the Western world in contact with the treasures of the Far East in the late 13th century, Marcopoloni strives to put you in touch with beautiful handmade goods from around the world!

Comparing Gianni’s Classic Italian Leather Keychains

As the years go by and we realize that Gianni has been making his leather keychains for 30 years by now, it is not surprising to see them in shops everywhere around the world. It is also not surprising that they invariably seem to be better than the “other” key chains, especially the blatant imitations.

Gianni’s three most classic Italian leather key chains are the Snaplink, the Giamaicano, and the Classico.

That long experience coupled with Gianni’s love for the products is what makes the difference and ultimately sets them apart. The Tuscan vacchetta leather he uses has become really expensive and Gianni’s keychains, although not dirt cheap, are priced low for the quality. I see keychains by Bottega Veneta advertised for $300 and I scratch my head because those keychains are really boring compared to Gianni’s. Clearly there are people willing to pay for a brand name. What we offer is the highest quality for the right price: a value proposition that appeals to me a lot.

There are three keychains that I would describe as classic: the Snaplink, the Giamaicano, and the Classico. Each has compelling features, what they share in common is that they all can clip onto either your belt or belt buckle.

The Snaplink is the most popular and also my favorite. I clip it to my belt buckle, it is designed to look like a belt with buckle and the buckle actually works–making it easy to add and remove rings. So it is very convenient at a valet or when dropping your car off for service. I had to replace mine after exactly 10 years because the clip slipped off. The leather was still in great shape.

The Giamaicano is what I consider the most stylish because the braid is awesome to the touch. It might be nicer than the Snaplink but it doesn’t have the valet feature. The clip is the easiest to use inside a bag with a keychain d-ring.

The Classico comes in a wider array of colors including my favorite, blue. It is the only one that can clip around a belt. This is great when your pockets and belt buckles are not in close proximity. Because you are able to choose exactly where the Classico will hang you usually can tuck your keys away.